- “Master Gracey laid to rest No mourning please at his request”
- ―Master Gracey's epitaph
Master Gracey is a character from the Haunted Mansion.
History[]
Background[]
There is some variation between the continuity of Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion.
Disneyland[]
Master Gracey was a member of the wealthy family which owned the house which would go onto become the Haunted Mansion of New Orleans and presumably during the 19th century. Master Gracey is often identified as having been the head of the family and/or the manor, and has having been a handsome man with brown hair though some sort of hidden ugly side. Master Gracey had a garden on the mansion's grounds which he spent time in, and shared with the clairvoyant Madame Leota.
Master Gracey died and was buried with the rest of his clan in a plot outside of the mansion. Before dying, he expressed the desire to not be mourned upon his passing. Gracey's ghost presumably haunted the manor, notably through a portrait in the foyer showing his assumed likeness changing from a young handsome man, to a hideous old man, to a skeletal corpse with glowing green eyes.
Magic Kingdom[]
Master Gracey was a member of the wealthy family which owned the house which would go onto become the Haunted Mansion, presumably during the late 17th/18th century. The mansion was in a village in upstate New York, within the Hudson River Valley. Master Gracey is often identified as having been the head of the family and/or the manor, and has having been a handsome man with brown hair though some sort of hidden ugly side.
Master Gracey died and was buried with the rest of his clan in a plot outside of the mansion. Before dying, he expressed the desire to not be mourned upon his passing. Gracey's ghost presumably haunted the manor, notably through a portrait in the foyer showing his assumed likeness changing from a young handsome man, to a hideous old man, to a skeletal corpse with glowing green eyes.
Development history[]
The name, "Master Gracey" was installed in tribute to Disney imagineer Yale Gracey who developed the illusions for the Haunted Mansion and who was shot dead alongside his wife. The use of the term, "Master" was not originally intended to imply the character was master-of-the-house, but rather that he died while too young to be referred to as, "Mister". However, the assertion that Master Gracey was late master of the Haunted Mansion became popular amongst fans, cast-members, and the Walt Disney Company itself. One of the most notable examples of this was the non-canonical, "Ghost Gallery" storyline made by Haunted Mansion cast-members, where Master Gracey was made a composite character with the Aging Man and Ghost Host.
The character of Master Gracey became connected to Marc Davis', "Aging Man" portrait within the foyer of the Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion, inspired by the literary character Dorian Gray from Oscar Wilde's gothic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray where a vain aristocrat makes a faustian bargain to have a portrait reflect all his aging and ugly features while preserving his mortal appearance, showing his portrait becoming more horrific as he becomes more evil. Due to the painting's popularity, it was installed in the queue for Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, replacing that of April December.
Appearances[]
Haunted Mansion[]
Master Gracey's tombstone appears outside of the Haunted Mansion. His tombstone has its own separate plot in the Magic Kingdom, located between those of Prudence Pock and Captain Culpepper Clyne. This tombstone is given a rose atop it every day by the mansion's servants. In Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, the garden section of the queue added in 2025 was described as being shared between Master Gracey and Madame Leota, with Gracey's smoking pipe left behind. The portrait of the aging man within the mansion is often identified as depicting Master Gracey.
Skipper Canteen[]
In the library of the Skipper Canteen is a book titled, "Tales of the Supernatural" by, "Gracey".
Trivia[]
- Master Gracey is often misconstrued for the Ghost Host, a separate character from the Haunted Mansion.
- In Phantom Manor, Gracey is replaced by Henry Ravenswood.
Gallery[]
External links[]
- Master Gracey on the Haunted Mansion wiki.